Other services

Service hours

Referral Needed

Wait Times

Multiple Languages

Communicable Disease Control

Under the authority of the Medical Officer of Health, the program is responsible to prevent and control communicable diseases (CD) which are notifiable (under the Communicable Disease Regulations of the Public Health Act of Alberta). Strategies to do this include:

Wait times

Fees

Service hours

Referral Needed

Wait Times

Multiple Languages

Community Health Centres

Provide people with information to make healthy choices, and opportunities to learn from and support each other to improve their quality of life. Community - based health programs can be accessed through any Community Health Centre (public health site).

Community based health programs work in the community to protect, promote, prevent, rehabilitate, support, and treat. The following services are available directly or through referral by contacting any Community Health Centre in the Central Zone:

Service hours

Referral Needed

Wait Times

Multiple Languages

Environmental Public Health - Drinking Water

Inspects public water supplies, reviews water sample results, and issues water advisories if needed. You can get water testing supplies (sample bottles) and shipping information from your local Community Health Centre. Testing for municipalities and private home owners is done through the Provincial Laboratory of Public Health and Alberta Centre for Toxicology. If there is E. coli or total coliform bacteria in your sample, you will be contacted right away.

May advise private homeowners about how safe their well, cistern, or dugout water is and talk about treatment options if needed.

Does drinking water testing for bacteria through the Provincial Laboratory of Public Health, Environmental Microbiology Services, which checks for:

E. coli bacteria (shows if water is contaminated with sewage or fecal matter)

total coliform bacteria (shows if water is contaminated with non-sewage pollution from the environment)

Chemical water testing of untreated ground water for private households is done by The Alberta Centre for Toxicology which checks for many different things including bicarbonate, calcium, chloride, and magnesium.

Your water sample requisition may be reviewed before your sample is sent to the right place for testing. This is to make sure your water supply is eligible for testing.

Service hours

Referral Needed

Wait Times

Multiple Languages

Environmental Public Health - Education

Answers general environmental public health questions about topics like safe cooking, pest problems, and mould.

Offers classes, courses, presentations, and displays on many environmental public health topics. They are suited to the audience’s needs. Information can be in-person, online, or in home study, and may be available in other languages. Some services offered are:

bed bugs presentations

courses for childcare facility staff

courses to operate temporary food concessions at fairs, festivals, exhibitions, carnivals, or other special events

Service hours

Referral Needed

Wait Times

Multiple Languages

Environmental Public Health - Housing and Illegal Drug Operations

Requires that owners/operators/landlords/property managers keep public housing healthy and safe for tenants. The service follows up on complaints from tenants or other agencies about housing conditions which may include no heat, water problems, structure problems, or pest problems (mice or other rodents, bed bugs or other insects). If conditions could be dangerous to tenants, they may need to move out. The service works with landlords to fix or remove problems. The service can also order dangerous conditions to be fixed like houses used for illegal drug operations (e.g., marijuana grow ops, meth labs).

Service hours

Referral Needed

Wait Times

Multiple Languages

Environmental Public Health - New Business and Plan Approval

Reviews and approves plans for building or renovating restaurants or other food establishments, swimming pools, social care facilities (e.g., daycares and nursing homes), and personal service facilities (e.g., tattoo studios, spas).

Reviews plans for special events (e.g., fairs, exhibitions, or carnivals) to make sure the right services are available (including washrooms and hand wash stations).

Issues permits and licenses needed for some facilities to operate like:

a Food Handling Permit for food establishments open to the public

a Public Swimming Pools Regulation License for swimming pools open to the public

Service hours

Referral Needed

Wait Times

Multiple Languages

Environmental Public Health - Social Care

Reviews plans for new businesses and approves facilities as requested by Child and Family Service Authority Licensing, Inspects many adult and childcare facilities routinely and follows up on complaints from clients or their families. May also provide education for staff in social care facilities.

Applies the requirements of the Institutions Regulation in social care facilities including:

Service hours

Referral Needed

Wait Times

Multiple Languages

Environmental Public Health - Work Camps

Inspects work camps of all sizes, including camps that move around Alberta or stay in one place. This includes camps used for any type of business (e.g., oil exploration and development, logging, tree planting). Inspections check that food is safely prepared, water is safe to drink, sewage is properly treated and disposed of, and housing conditions are safe.

Service hours

Referral Needed

Wait Times

Multiple Languages

Environmental Public Health Program

Work to keep public places (e.g., restaurants, daycares, pools, rental properties, tattoo studios) safe. Tell people about health risks (e.g., unsafe water or housing). Make sure that the Public Health Act is being followed.

Referral Needed

Wait Times

Multiple Languages

Immunization - Adult and Seniors Services

This service provides routine immunization for adults and seniors. Suggested immunizations;

a booster dose of tetanus / diphtheria vaccine every 10 years

an adult booster dose of pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine, often combined with one of the tetanus / diphtheria boosters (dTap)

annual influenza vaccine - for all Albertans 6 months of age and older

pneumococcal vaccine - for all adults 65 years of age and older and adults with certain health problems

To find out which vaccines are recommended for you and to book an appointment for immunization, call your nearest community/public health centre. If you are not sure where your nearest community/public health centre is, you can call Health Link at 811. Bring any immunization records you have to the appointment, especially if you were immunized in another province or country.

For more general information about immunization, go to Immunizations at myhealth.alberta.ca or call Health Link.

Additional vaccines may be needed depending on your child’s health conditions or other risk factors.

Immunization is effective. Other than providing safe drinking water, no other health intervention works as well as immunization to reduce disease and death rates. Immunization protects whole communities. The more people who are fully immunized in a community, the safer everyone is.

Immunization is safe. It is much safer to get immunized than to get the diseases that vaccines protect against.

For more information, and to book an appointment, call your nearest community/public health centre. If you are not sure where your nearest community/public health centre is, call Health Link at 811. Bring your child’s immunization record to the appointment, especially if your child was immunized in another province or country.

For more general information about immunization, go to Immunizations at myhealth.alberta.ca, or call Health Link at 811.

Referral Needed

Wait Times

Multiple Languages

Immunization - School Services

This program provides routine immunizations to children in Grades 1, 5, and 9 in school. Before immunizations are given, records are reviewed to see what immunizations each child needs. A consent is then sent home. No immunizations will be given without consent from a parent or legal guardian. Immunizations in this program include:

Grade 1: for children who have not received routine preschool immunizations, which includes diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella

Grade 5: Offers Hepatitis B, human papilloma virus (HPV) and varicella (chickenpox) immunization to children who aren't immunized or have NOT had Hepatitis B or varicella disease. In August, 2014 HPV vaccine started being offered to grade 5 boys and girls. There is also a catch-up program for the grade 9 boys and girls who did not receive their vaccine in grade 5

Wait times

Fees

Service hours

Referral Needed

Wait Times

Multiple Languages

Infant Nutrition Classes

Dietitians answer questions and show parents how to make their own baby food using a variety of kitchen tools; like hand mixers, food mills and food processors. Parents learn how to prepare vegetables, fruits, meats, meat alternatives, infant cereals. This class works to answer questions about:

infant feeding

introducing solids and textures

establishing a healthy feeding relationship

The two hour workshop ends with a taste test to compare store-bought baby foods and homemade baby foods for taste and texture, highlighting why babies need to start on high-iron foods at six months, and why introducing different food textures is important. Parents are encouraged to bring babies to the class, which focuses on creating a positive feeding relationship.

Wait times

Fees

Service hours

Referral Needed

Wait Times

Multiple Languages

Nutrition Counselling - Pediatric Weight Management

In the Outpatient Dietitian Counselling program, families work one-on-one with a registered dietitian (dietitian) trained in Pediatric Weight Management. The dietitian will help the family work on healthy eating and active living habits and set realistic goals that focus on creating a healthy lifestyle. Areas of focus include nutrition, physical activity, sedentary time and sleep.

The dietitian and the family’s healthcare provider work together to ensure the family is supported in achieving their health goals. They can also assist in connecting the family with other supports as needed, such as physical activity, mental health, and community services.

The program’s aim is to help families achieve a lifestyle that promotes healthy growth and development in their children.

Fees

Service hours

Referral Needed

Wait Times

Multiple Languages

Office of the Medical Officer of Health

The MOH is responsible for:

The overall health of Albertansmonitoring and reporting (to the public and to the Health Authority Board) on the health status of the population. This is done through health and disease surveillance. Advocate for changes in policy that will improve the health of residents (e.g., smoking by-laws, bicycle trail systems, intersection safety and red light campaigns).

Communicable Disease ControlWorks to control the spread of communicable diseases and manage outbreaks. Also responsible for STD and TB follow-up and control, and for infection control in the community.

Telephone

Service Hours

Service language options

Languages other than English in which this service may be delivered.

Referral Needed

No

Eligibility

No

Wait times

No

Fees

Nutrition class is free for you and your support person. The Baby Bundle of all three later pregnancy classes is $60; individual classes are $20. The price includes yourself and your labour support person.

Public health nurses contact families within 48 hours after discharge from the hospital. They offer support and health assessments of the newborn, mother and family. Discussions with the family guide the information and support provided. Referrals to community resources are available.

Wait times

Fees

Service hours

Referral Needed

Wait Times

Multiple Languages

Travel Health Services

Promotes awareness of the possible risk of communicable disease when travelling and ways to prevent them. Travel Health can also give travel immunizations. Not all services are offered at all locations. The services below are offered on a fee-for-service basis:

information on health risks according to country or region

required and recommended vaccines

information about preventing travel-related illnesses

Book your appointment at least 6 to 8 weeks before you leave to make sure there is enough time to have all your immunizations.

Yellow Fever vaccine should be given at least 10 days before you arrive in an area where Yellow Fever Disease is found. Please book your appointment at least three to six weeks prior to your departure date. The clinic will provide a validated International Certificate of Vaccination.

Telephone

Service Hours

Service language options

Languages other than English in which this service may be delivered.

Referral Needed

No

Eligibility

Eligibility includes:

recent contact with known TB cases

people with medical conditions/therapies that increase risk of progressing from latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) to active TB (HIV/AIDS, transplantation, on dialysis for chronic renal failure, silicosis, cancer of the head and neck, being treated with immunosuppressive drugs)

all refugees less than age 50 who are from a country where TB is common AND who have immigrated here in the last 2 years

foreign-born children up to and including age 14 who have lived in a country where TB is common AND who have immigrated here within the past 2 years